The group stage of VALORANT Champions 2026 Shanghai has begun
In the opening matches of VALORANT Champions 2026 Shanghai, the North American teams played flawlessly, while the Chinese teams couldn’t even win a single map.
The VALORANT Champions 2026 Shanghai tournament kicked off with eight opening matches played across four groups. While none of the VCT CN representatives competing in front of their home fans managed to secure a victory in the first week, the American teams had a flawless opening week.
Opening Match Results and Regional Performance
Regional rivalries took center stage in the tournament’s opening days. North American teams secured the top spots by winning all their opening series. Meanwhile, the EMEA region lost only a single match, and the Pacific team Paper Rex was the only Pacific representative to secure a victory in the first round.
- 100 Thieves 2-0 T1
- LOUD 2-0 EDG
- G2 2-0 Tyloo
- NRG 2-0 Nongshim RedForce
- FUT Esports 2-0 JD Gaming
- Team Vitality 2-1 Global Esports
- Team Liquid 1-2 Paper Rex
- Karmine Corp 2-0 XLG
The Chinese teams failed to secure a map win in the first stage of the tournament. Although JD Gaming came close to a 10-13 score on the second map against FUT Esports, the overall picture pointed to a challenging start for the VCT China teams. Defending champion NRG continues its undefeated run, while Masters Santiago winner Nongshim RedForce will have to sweat it out in the elimination matches for a playoff spot.
Analysis
The results from the opening week provided the first clues as to how the competitive balance between regions will shape up in the later stages of the tournament. While the flawless performance of the American teams demonstrated their strong start to the tournament, the Chinese teams’ inability to translate their home-field advantage into results turns the remainder of the group stage into a critical turning point for them.
